China, People's Republic of
China’s Public Diplomacy Efforts China’s continuing rise has thrust the country into a more eminent position regarding their influence on world politics and society. With annual growth rates of almost 10% since 1994, China is increasingly able to provide for its large population while furthering the nation’s role in global relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed a formal desire to serve China by exposing the world to the nation’s distinct culture and history. Shen Guofang, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs has expressed in recent years the Ministry's desires to be more public-oriented and serve the general public by "giving top priority to the people, seeking truths and being pragmatic". He acknowledges that there is still much to be done in order to meet the requirements of the times, satisfy the expectations of China's citizens and catch up with the development of public diplomacy in other regions of the world. For confronting these increasingly important concerns, a Division for Public Diplomacy has been established under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. China’s Soft Power In June 2006, Joshua Kurlantzick of the Carnegie Endowment released his latest work, China’s Charm: Implications of Chinese Soft Power. The piece gives an in-depth look at China’s rising influence in regional and global affairs, met at the same time by America’s declining authority. It seems Beijing’s push to spread Chinese culture and business opportunity may be a mixed blessing to the developing nations of East Asia, driving rapid economic development yet possibly hindering the progress of free, democratic societies. The U.S. must view relations with China as mutually beneficial, diplomatically engaging the country and its growing allies. Language Initiatives Some great stories regarding the spread of Chinese language learning and Public Diplomacy have recently sprung up. More and more students are being drawn to the opportunities presented by acquiring such ability. The blog, Public Diplomacy Watch gives some brief thought on the subjectand offers some great analysis on other issues concerning Public Diplomacy and China. *Joshua Kurlantzick - China's PD: Promoting Chinese Language Studies - USC Center on Public Diplomacy Blog Vital Information *Population - 1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.) *Government – Chinese Communist Party or CCP; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP :*President Hu Jintao :*Vice President Zeng Qinghong *Since 1994 China's economy has grown at an annual rate of almost 10% in real terms. This has had a huge impact on reducing poverty. In 2004, the number of people living on less than $1/day was estimated at 135 million, or around 10% of the population. China's per capita income is now around $1,300 :*Department of International Development - http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/china-factsheet-english.pdf Government Agencies *Ministry of Foreign Affairs *Ministry of Education *Xinhua News Agency *Ministry of Science & Technology *Beijing International International Broadcasting *CCBN Television *China Radio International English *CCTV International *STAR Television Group *China Entertainment Television (in Chinese) Publications & Articles *China’s Charm: Implications of Chinese Soft Power by Joshua Kurlantzick. Carnegie Endowment 2006. *China's Relations with Latin America: Shared Gains, Asymmetric Hopes by Jorge Dominguez. Harvard University 2006. *In China It's ****** vs. Netizens - Nicholas Kristof. New York Times, June 20, 2006. Blogs – Exposing Cultures Blogs written by both the Chinese community as well as overseas Americans, can give a fresh perspective on news and developments that affect the rising country’s relationship with the world. The blog Chinaspeaks.org gives voice to opinions on “the rise of China" and allows overseas communities perspectives on politically critical movements. ChinaThinkBase.com provides “daily translations of the words of Chinese intellectuals." The advancement of technology and modern communication is giving voice to people previously closed off from global society. Free thoughts now overcoming previous boundaries are provoking political change, while nearly every aspect of every culture, from fashion to music, influence an ever-changing world society. Running List of Important Blogs *China Blog List – A compilation of blogs dedicated to China *Chinaspeaks.org *ChinaThinkBase.org *Eye on China - News and views on China and Taiwan. People, politics, viewpoints, changes taking place and opinions on it all *Howard French, senior writer for the New York Times, blogs about China. *China Activist Weekly *We Deserve the Vote Hong Kong Resources *Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China *CIA World Factbook – China *Academic Seminar, 2004 *People's Daily Online *The World is Flat by New York Times Foreign Affairs columnist Thomas Friedman